


Headcanons for Kallus

by ferveniaal



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Gen, Headcanon, just something about cool calm professional types, kind of a character study too, my fave coruscanti smoothie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-20 14:08:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22018594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ferveniaal/pseuds/ferveniaal
Summary: First time I've done headcanons and thought I’d do a general master-post for Agent Kallus. Drafted most of them a few years ago but didn't upload due to various reasons.
Kudos: 13





	Headcanons for Kallus

**Bad memories / experiences:**

Born to a low-income, hard-working family on Coruscant, Kallus’s parents pushed him hard and instilled the importance of drive to achieve in life. However due to their harsh discipline, critical nature and emotional unavailability, the couple had a deeply strained dynamic with each other and their son in whom they placed great hopes for the future. As Kallus grew older, his insecurities and resentment deepened as he found the pressure of his parents’ expectations intolerable enough to apply to the Imperial Academy on Coruscant. The youth wanted to prove himself and create a future which would allow him to both quiet his parents and put space between them.

Kallus’s relief at being accepted and the liberating literal distance from his parents proved distracting enough to have an adverse effect on his concentration and drive to graduate from the Academy. Deprived of affection and consistent feedback, he struggled with the rigorous demands of Imperial curriculum as he found the socialising aspect of student life infinitely more appealing. 

A slightly older student named Jovan, who was always a little too cocksure and smooth for Kallus’s liking, decided he could make time to help draw out the latent potential of this frustrated lost youth. Despite his ego, Jovan made a surprisingly capable unofficial mentor for Kallus - easy-going to shake off the younger cadet’s dry jabs, yet firm and honest enough to give provide feedback which for the first time, made Kallus feel valued - that he was capable of achieving what the Academy expected. Thanks to his friendship-sometimes-rivalry with Jovan, Kallus came to reflect and adjust his approach to satisfy the demands of the Academy, enabling him to graduate top of his class. 

Despite the satisfaction which came with graduating and appreciating Jovan’s steadfast support and mentorship (although disappointed in the man, he still feels some awkward lingering affection and respect), Kallus still feels the scars of his joyless upbringing - for years afterwards, he feels strongly compelled to prove himself and earn the affection and respect of others. Due to both his harsh upbringing and striving to satisfy the Academy’s requirements post-graduation, Kallus’s expectations of others were almost as high as those he applied to himself.

Over the years but especially since crossing paths with the Ghost crew, the absence of camaraderie, respect and cohesive support from his own side as well as his humane treatment at Zeb’s hands took its toll on Kallus’s staunch loyalty and ego. Although he was aware of how devoted the rebels were, upon realising the depth of their dedication, love and respect for Zeb - a man from a species he’d almost wiped out on Lasan - it proved devastating to acknowledge that the rebels treated him with more decency and respect for his skills than anyone in the Empire had ever given him. He remembered how the Empire treated Aresko and Grint, two loyal if underperforming servants.

What stalled Kallus from looking inwards and acknowledging and addressing his flaws was him not only harbouring deep anger and resentment for what happened on Onderon (as well as negative feeling created by dealing with factions other than rebels such as pirates) but a deeply ingrained sense of obligation to pay off the debt he felt he owed the Empire for believing in and providing the means for him to finally emerge from his parents’ shadow. Kallus still keeps contact with his parents although communication between them is often painfully formal but civil. He finds himself hungry for personal connection and feels guilt over his actions under the Empire, as well as what happened with Jovan and Swain - two people who knew him well; Jovan pushed him to achieve his potential and Swain was like a daughter. Although he knows he made the right choice, in some ways he misses Yularen who was an approachable father figure and capable mentor. Kallus continues to feel immense guilt at the genocide of Lasan - both he and Zeb are aware of it, and it forms a major drive behind Kallus's efforts to do his utmost for the alliance.

At his core and despite his fragile ego, Kallus has always been a private person who is discerning with whom he associates with and cautious of letting people in. He values loyalty, frank constructive feedback and honesty.

Although he exercises a civil, professional if no-nonsense approach towards people who irk or unsettle him, he won’t spend time or socialise with them unless required. Nor will be pretend to have more than just a cool acquaintance with people - what you see is what you get. After all, Kallus knows that life (especially given recent developments) can be brutal, short and unpredictable - so why waste time or excess energy on something which has nothing to offer?

**Holiday:**

Due to the never-ending demands of his profession (picking up leads from informers; giving talks on Imperial state security to cadets and officials; comprehensive case study notes for his trainees, and so on), the overwhelming sense of duty to the Empire and ensure that an incident such as that which befell his unit on Onderon never happens to him or loyal Imperials (citizens and personnel) again, for many years Kallus felt compelled to work longer hours than his coworkers. Although a workaholic, Kallus knows just how important a healthy active lifestyle is to enable him to perform his job and well, look good - the ideal poster boy for Imperial and now rebel recruitment ads. 

Under the Empire his superiors praised his commitment and previously impressive performance although out of concern for effectiveness and Kallus’s state of mind they did enforce compulsory leave for the man. A fatigued easily stressed employee in a position which requires vigilance and exquisite attention to detail in a sensitive high pressure environment makes a terrible asset.

When on leave, Kallus likes to go into the wilderness and opts for physically demanding tour itineraries which make him feel alive by both having an element of risk and which permit him use of the wide range of skills picked up during his time in the Imperial Army and the Imperial Security Bureau. On other occasions he's content to sit in a quiet corner and read.

**Cooking:**

Since he graduated, Kallus has visited many worlds, done and seen many things he’d rather forget in the Empire’s service yet one of the few perks is how his willingness to explore has allowed him to experience myriad food and beverages - most of them suitable for human consumption. One of his happiest memories which still makes him flush with embarrassment is when he went with friends to the depths of Coruscant on a booze bender and tried out the food markets where they saw all manner of flora and fauna, extremities notwithstanding.

Compelled to achieve, Kallus likes variety and cooks to impress, favouring delicate subtle spice-touched flavours and rich aromas. He has a fondness for Alderaan’s cuisine with its herbs, spices, gamey meats, oh-so-soft flatbreads and sophisticated full-bodied wines. Although he enjoys the finer tastes in life, he doesn’t shy away from the more mundane food and drink available - particularly when his job duties vary from one day to the next - he’s well aware he needs to be on top form. 

**Anger:**

Kallus is perfectionistic yet slow to anger and very aware of how he carries himself. It takes repeated negative experiences for annoyance to turn into avid dislike where it directly affects his behaviour. Kallus would rather state his thoughts and the facts then leave a room... and maybe stew a while if sufficiently angered, than throw a tantrum and lose all credibility and respect. As a character from another franchise observed: Anger makes you stupid, stupid gets you killed.

Kallus pushes himself to be level-headed and rational primarily because it makes him efficient, though he recognises that these traits also inspire confidence and respect.

It should be noted that with the Ghost crew, over time he treated their continued evasion from an irksome business matter to a personal affront until it reached the point where Kallus reached his breaking point and behaved in an uncharacteristically careless and irrational manner to take out Zeb. Kallus is both appreciative and embarrassed by what it took to make him face up to the reality of who he really is - grateful for giving him the chance to atone, ashamed for losing control and his misplaced loyalty and terrible actions dedicated to an unworthy cause.

**Sleeping:**

Although prone to working long hours than some of his colleagues, Kallus is generally well-disciplined and sensible enough to know when to retire for the night. Each day is unpredictable and can push him to his limits, so combined with a healthy nutritious diet, he aims to catch at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. He tends to sleep on his back, arms by his sides.

Although it never quite banishes the insecurities and frustrations which plague him, he typically retains enough peace of mind and control to control his breathing and thoughts to enter a restful sleep. When particularly agitated, he tends to reach for a holobook - usually history - to wind down; one of his favourite haunts in his youth was the Imperial Library on Coruscant - not only to broaden his mind but also as a form of escapism to acquire peace from the pressures at home.

Waking, he rises early to workout before going for a run - he treasures his private down time, using the exercise and privacy to put his thoughts in order and relax. 

Although vexed by the thick smog produced by Lothal’s nearby ever-bustling factories, the strained co-ordination between departments and inadequate training provided to the troopers stationed on Lothal’s garrison, as well as frustrated by the Ghost crew’s continued evasion, Kallus did come to appreciate the grandeur and fading beauty of Lothal’s expansive plains. 

**Driving / Flying:**

With deserved confidence in his skills, Kallus is still respectful and adheres to Imperial law - both to ensure safety in stability and efficiency. In his late 30s and a senior agent, despite his newfound allegiance to the rebels, he still feels compelled to act the part of a respectable Imperial citizen and officer.

Due to a rigid seething mixture of his childhood, the demands of the Empire and his humbling treatment at Zeb’s hands, he has always felt that unless one works hard and acts in a professional manner, how does one deserve respect? His driving / flying style is alert but calm - a flexible defensive driver who is heedful and takes sensible action to avoid dangers. Flying lessons at the Academy were one of the few areas in which Kallus’s skill surpassed that of Jovan… however that didn’t prevent the latter from coming out tops in every game they played, much to Kallus’s consternation.

**Bathing / Showering:**

A busy man with his attention always on something to do, a fondness for an active lifestyle and conscious about hygiene, Kallus dislikes the feeling of being surrounded by detritus shed by his own form in a bath and prefers the focused pressure and in-out brevity of a shower. He’s thorough and knows the importance of scrubbing up good. His roommates at the Academy were particularly fond of him due to his quick time spent in the shower and inclination for cleanliness; sometimes being lazy or exhausted by the strenuous Imperial curriculum, they did exploit this until the Academy staff noticed and made it explicitly clear that relying on a one-man cleaning army was neither conducive nor becoming of Imperial citizenry and personnel.

**Hugging:**

Despite the absence of affection and tactility in his youth, Kallus’s time at the Academy (under the supervision of the instructors and Jovan) and his career have ensured that he became accustomed to touch. For the most part however it’s tied to martial exploits and as such, he’s unused to people wanting to make friendly physical contact with a former ISB representative. As an introvert who is guarded and values loyalty, it should be noted however that Kallus dislikes invasion of his personal space. A shrewd observer of body language and expression, Kallus can read people with ease and knows when it’s appropriate for contact to be made. 

**General Physical Contact:**

Both before and after defection, Kallus is a private man who values his space - he generally maintains a respectful distance in proximity from others. He will only make contact with someone if his duty demands it or if he is on particularly good terms with the person. When he deeply dislikes or is uncomfortable around a person his manner is cold and body language closed off; he deliberately keeps a good distance away from them, showing no interest nor willingness to engage or make contact with them unless necessary. With friends and people close to his heart, he’s notably more relaxed and tactile.

**Physical appearance:**

Kallus is well aware he’s considered extremely attractive by the various human / humanoid races who inhabit the galaxy. When he caroused in his youth, an often reluctant passenger in his more outgoing friends' wild exploits he made time to groom himself immaculately - his pride in his appearance was as much for the Empire as for himself. After all, being the intergalactic equivalent of Rab C Nesbitt never helped anyone. However since joining the rebels Kallus has become more relaxed in both attitude and appearance - to his contentment. (Frankly this one found Kallus's appearance with the Empire infinitely better to his current look but whatever!).

**Author's Note:**

> I've always been intrigued by Kallus due to his personality gleaned from various media - calm, reserved, driven, intelligent, professional, politically astute, terrifyingly fanatical in pursuit of a goal, courageous on the battlefield yet not so in recognising the reality of the Empire, as well as arrogant. Then depending on the person (notably Tarkin who's at the extreme end of an Imperial's Imperial), there's his profound sensitivity to criticism. 
> 
> He always struck me as having a compulsion to prove himself, defining himself and his worth by his service to the Empire and becoming vain and unsettled enough to view the continuous survival of the Ghost crew as a grave personal affront. His immense varied skillset and the potential of what he could be - if only he was on the right side - for me made him a mysterious, compelling and charismatic character from his first appearance. 
> 
> I just wish he'd had more character centric episodes to flesh out his development and further explore his personality.


End file.
